Overwhelmed by the Cohen and Manafort News? We’ll Catch You Up

The dust had barely settled from one revelation about a Trump associate when another landed almost immediately. Within a few whirlwind minutes on Tuesday afternoon, Michael D. Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws and Paul Manafort was convicted on multiple counts of fraud.

Confused or overwhelmed by the developments? Here is a look at coverage from The Times.

Cohen’s guilty plea

Mr. Cohen, President Trump’s former fixer, pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws, and admitted to arranging payments to two women at Mr. Trump’s behest to secure their silence about affairs they said they had with him. Mr. Cohen said the payments were made “for the principal purpose of influencing the election.”

• One payment involved the help of the National Enquirer, and here’s how American Media Inc., the tabloid’s publisher, and Mr. Trump have mutually benefited from a friendly relationship.

• What has the Trump team said about the payments to Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic actress better known as Stormy Daniels? Here’s a look.

Manafort’s conviction on eight counts

Mr. Manafort, the former campaign chairman for Mr. Trump, was convicted of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. Of the 18 total charges against him, the judge declared a mistrial on 10 counts. The verdict was the most significant victory yet for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III.

In Washington, trying to make sense of it all

In private, the president’s staunchest defenders acknowledged that the legal setbacks could open fissures among Republicans on Capitol Hill and expose Mr. Trump to the possibility of impeachment in the House. Here’s why Mr. Trump’s fate rests with Congress.